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Lynch, a native of Vincent, comes to the Cavaliers after a stellar high school career at Warren. The 6-foot-2 versatile defender helped lead the Warriors to three straight Southeast Ohio Division II District Championships. As Lynch played all across the back-four the Warriors dominated the Southeast District holding opponents scoreless 23 times in 63 matches, including 7-of-14 tournament matches on their way to three consecutive trips to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Regional Semifinals.

Lynch joins a Cavalier squad that had a resurgence to prominence of the Appalachian Athletic Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 2013 under first-year Head Coach David Knapp as the Cavaliers finished second in the AAC for the first time since 2006 ? when goalkeeper Howard Fisher earned Freshman of the Year honors and Sherman Gardner won the conference Golden Boot award.

Lynch will arrive in Montreat, N.C. to a Cavalier squad that will have a very different defensive look in 2014 due to the graduation of center back Vijay Godhania (Loughborough, England), and outside backs Cody LaBelle (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Ayobami Oyemade (Abuja, Nigeria). All three became starters for the first time in the backline under Knapp in 2013. LaBelle was a Second Team All-Appalachian Athletic Conference, All-Appalachian Athletic Conference Academic, Daktronics-NAIA Men's Soccer Scholar Athlete and Capital One Academic All?District Men's Soccer Team honoree under Knapp in 2013. The trio played a key role in the Cavaliers defense that finished the season ranked No. 22 in Shutouts per Game (0.38) and No. 33 in Total Shutouts (6) in the NAIA while allowing just 1.02 goals against per game.

Knapp took the reins following a dismal 2012 season when the Cavaliers finished eight out of nine teams in the AAC.

In Knapp's first season the Cavaliers finished second in the 10 team circuit and never lost by more than a single goal including a loss to the eventual No. 9 team in the country.